


Sighthound

by Strixian



Series: Sighthound [1]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Death, Dreams, Explicit Language, Male OC - Freeform, No Romance, OC Galore, Tags to be added, long fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29194038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strixian/pseuds/Strixian
Summary: He wasn't the first that the faceless monster had picked up over the years, far from it.  He just so happens to have a useful ability and isn't all that easy to kill.All of the faces around him were blurred, though they all wore what looked like a uniform of hoodies that ranged in colors from white to tan to black.  Daniel even spotted a familiar orange hoodie sitting next to a tan jacket.  They seemed far more at ease with each other than before.  An amused smile grew on his face when a smaller figure with goggles swinging from his neck tackled the figure in the tan jacket, nearly knocking him off his seat with the movement.  Daniel turns his attention away when the tan figure starts to yell, pulling the smaller form, who was still cackling, into a headlock.  It was odd how at home he felt amongst these strangers.The man squints when his vision starts to haze over, blending the mansion he knew with the one that had yet to come about.
Series: Sighthound [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143380





	1. Chapter 1

Leaning against the office wall, Daniel watches as Slenderman brings the newest member of the household under his proverbial wing. His keeper had been stalking the man and his friends for over a month but this was the first time he’d had the chance to examine the man in detail, thanks to Slenderman being the one to bring him in. The stranger looked to be in his twenties, looking like he had just stumbled out of a ditch after a week-long bender. He tries to sink as far as he could into the chair as the faceless being towered over him, hand moving to hover over his shoulder. 

Surprisingly enough, he doesn’t cry out as the familiar brand carves itself into his skin. “ _ Daniel, if you would. _ ” The man nods before pulling a mask out of his sweater pocket and picking up the orange hoodie that had been lying at his feet. He walks over to hand it to the trembling stranger and holds the bundle out to him expectantly. 

He looks startled when Daniel hands him the mask but doesn't resist when he gives both articles of clothing to him “This’ll be your version of a uniform. The boss picked it out so blame him for the clashing colors.” Daniel states, his voice a bit hoarse from the lack of use. The house had not seen someone who spoke aloud in a while. The newcomer only stares, his eyes locked on the mask. It wasn’t all that impressive, just a ski mask with red stitching for the eyes and frown. 

The tall being turned towards the standing male, leaving the new guy out of the conversation “ _ Take him to his room. You can show him around when you come back with the other one. _ ”

Daniel nodded “Does he have a name?”

“ _ Call him Hoodie. He has no use for his former name now. _ ”

He nodded before taking the newly minted Hoodie by the wrist “Guess your name is Hoodie now, nice to meetcha. Lets get you settled in, alright?” He doesn’t resist when Daniel pulls him from the office. 

The door slams shut and a slight smile settles on Daniel’s face, gently tugging Hoodie down the long halls that ran throughout most of the mansion. The carpets were balding and the wallpaper was beyond outdated but as there were only two people living in the house so there had been no reason to change it. 

That would have to change now that there would be more residents entering the house. A lot more, if your ability was correct. After a few minutes of walking, the pair arrive in front of a plain wooden door “Here we are. I didn’t know what you would want your room to look like so I just set up the basics. Feel free to change it if you want.” It wasn’t anything special, just a regular room with a bed, a small closet and a desk shoved under the window that took up the center of the far wall. The walls themselves were an off-white and the flooring, unlike the halls, was made up of worn wood with a small grey carpet tossed in the middle. “We already set up some spare clothes just in case. You want me to show you to the kitchen or do you want some time to yourself?”

“I would like to rest, if that's alright.” His voice was soft, exhaustion and something Daniel couldn’t quite place lacing his tone.

The shorter male nods “See ya later then. Be careful not to wander around or you might get lost.” Daniel turns as the man enters his new room and shuts the door, knowing that he would pass out as soon as his head hit the lumpy pillow. His body would most likely go into a coma like state as it adjusted to the mark and the changes it would force on him. He had gone through the same thing, after all. “ _ So, am I to go after the Hoodie’s partner now or would it be better to wait? _ ” He sent the thought off, knowing a certain someone was always listening.

_ “It would be best to grab him now. This particular human mental hospital is not known for their great care.” _ Comes the reply.

“ _ Alrighty then. You have the mask? _ ” A sudden spark of static flares in Daniel’s ears before he feels a slight weight appear in his pocket. Glancing down, he could just make out the edge of a white mask peeking out of the fabric. To avoid wasting more time, Daniel walks over to the nearest window and lifts up the glass pane, enjoying the breeze that greets him. It was only two stories up so landing was no problem. He smirks, remembering when his keeper had tried breaking him of this habit before figuring it was not worth the extra effort. It was faster anyway.

Daniel darts between the ancient trees, enjoying the feeling of freedom as the wind tugged instantly at his hair. He had run through the forest hundreds of times before and the fickle entity that made up the forest’s consciousness made no effort to trip him. This time anyway. 

With the location of the hospital seared into the male’s mind, Daniel had no trouble making his way towards the place, careful to avoid the more populated areas of civilization. An hour and a mini-break later, Daniel finds himself on the edge of the massive asylum property. It housed three separate buildings, though the one he was shooting for was the back left one. 

Sticking to the treeline and out of sight wasn’t all that hard due to the fact that it looked like the groundskeeper was slacking in his duty to keep the vegetation in line. Creeping into an overgrown bush that sat under a window, Rais peers inside. It looked like a dim hallway with graying walls and scuffed tile flooring. Ducking back down when a woman in white clothing strode past, the man thinks up a plan of attack. Now this plan wasn’t very complex, consisting of dancing around the staff and grabbing the target before bolting. It would have been better if he hadn’t been running on three hours of sleep and had missions back to back.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Daniel carefully slips into the building. He can’t help wrinkling his nose as the scent of antiseptic and sweat rushes to overwhelm him. He gives up on trying to understand the sound of shouting, screaming and conversations, muffled by the walls around him. This was not a good place to be in, that was obvious. Walking on the balls of his feet to muffle any extra noises, Daniel sneaks down the halls, looking for a certain room. Following the numbers that were screwed above each door on plastic plaques, It only took at most half an hour to find it. The staff had been sparse, much to his surprise, having only to hide only once when a gloomy looking guard strode past. 

“Lets get this over with.” Slipping the lock pick set out of his boot, Daniel opens to the door with a whisper of a click.

The room was what he expected out of a mental asylum, white padding lined the floor and walls with a light hanging from a cracked ceiling. There was no bed as far as Daniel could see, which wasn’t surprising. Anything on a bed could be made into a weapon if the maker had enough imagination and willpower to make it happen. It wasn’t until he had stepped into the room that he spotted the human curled in the furthest right corner of the room, a straightjacket limiting his movements. He looked to be slightly younger than Hoodie, with brown hair shaved close to his head and the very beginnings of sideburns growing down his face. The man doesn’t react even when Daniel crouches beside him, head tilted slightly in curiosity. “You still alive?” Daniel asks, careful to keep his voice down.

The man twitches sharply before peering up at the wild haired stranger in his cell “Who are you?”

Daniel grinned “I’m the guy that was sent to break you out of this hellhole, if that’s what you want.”

That got his attention and he struggled to sit up “What? Why would you break in just for me?” His eyes suddenly narrow in suspicion “Wait, you work for the faceless man, don’t you?”

Daniel’s smile doesn’t falter “Aren’t you a smart one? Yup, I’m an underling to the faceless monster called Slenderman. You could be too, unless you want to spend the rest of your days in this place.” 

The man starts to shake, eyes widening in fear “Why would I work with the thing that ruined my life? Ruined all our lives?”

He had a point. Daniel thinks a moment before standing, leaning back on his heels “So that’s a no? That’s disappointing. Your friend will be heartbroken when he hears this.”

The man gives him a wild look before trying to shove himself to his feet, only to fail miserably without the use of his arms “Friend? You mean Brian? He isn’t dead?”

The male turns back “He acted pretty alive when I showed him his room, unless he was a very convincing illusion.”

After a moment, the bound man sighs before looking up, his eyes holding a new spark “I’ll go. You better not be lying about this.”

Daniel taps his chest where his heart could have been “I’m not the greatest liar so be sure that I'm telling you the truth.” Daniel once again crouches beside the man, undoing the buckles that held the straightjacket together “Now, since the staff knows who you are, you’re going to have to wear a mask.”

The man gives him an incredulous look “Where the hell am I going to get a mask?” Daniel pauses, noting the ever so faint change in his voice, like two men were talking over each other.

“I have one right here.” With a flourish, Daniel pulls the mask out of his pocket. It was as white as the walls that surrounded the pair, with obviously feminie features. He stares at it a moment before sighing “I swear he’s doing this on purpose.” Tucking the mask under one arm, Daniel releases the final buckle on the white jacket, allowing the one trapped inside to finally stretch. “Here ya go.”

The man carefully grabs the mask, staring at it for a moment before securing it to his face with the attached strap. The change was immediate, his tense shoulders evening out and his hands curling into fists as he took in the room with new eyes. So the keeper had added his own flare to the mask, huh? He really should have expected that. The man, whose name you had yet to learn, turned to stare at you “Who the hell are you?” His voice was different, deeper with barely restrained hostility wrapping around each word.

Daniel grins “Name’s Daniel, better known as Sighthound. I’ll be working with you under a certain being called Slenderman.” He doesn’t tense as the masked man stands, towering over him. 

“Why should I believe anything you say? You could be a liar like everyone else.”

Daniel had the faint sense that he was talking to a separate person, unless he had already forgotten their conversation. A different personality that comes out when he feels threatened, perhaps? Standing as well, Daniel let his smile drop into a more professional mask “‘I’m a horrible liar. Now, are you coming with or do think it's better for you to rot in a poorly maintained mental institution?” He tilts his head, waiting for an answer.

The masked man gives an irritated sigh “Fine, I’ll follow you out of this place. Only until we get out, then I'm gone.”

“You don’t want to meet up with your friend. Brian, was it?” The man twitched, as if he was mentally fighting with himself.

“Shut up and lead the way.” He waves a hand towards the door. Daniel nods before trotting over to the door he had left slightly ajar. He waits until the latest set of footsteps fade before inching the door open. He was quick to slip out into the hall, the man practically stepping on the back of his shoes as he follows after. The window right across from the pair steals Daniel’s attention. It was the same as the one he had entered through earlier, with the exception of a shiny new lock sealing it shut. Daniel pulls a small knife from his pocket and smashes it with the handle, careful not to make too much noise. “Hurry it up.” His new companion hisses, shifting from foot to foot.

“Keep your pants on, I'm wor-” Daniel’s head suddenly snaps up, looking to the right of the hall. An older fellow wearing stark white clothing stood there, staring at the two men in a state of shock. He was probably a doctor, if the clipboard and the name sewn into his jacket was any indication. Seriously, Daniel had never seen someone other than a doctor with their own name sewn onto their clothes. 

Before he could react, the man who he was probably supposed to be keeping a tight leash on rushes forward. The possible doctor didn’t stand a chance. Within moments the masked man had shoved him onto his back and was choking the life out of him. Daniel doesn’t try to stop him, pulling his focus back on the lock that refused to break. He gave a faint joyful cry when it finally crumbles under his assault and he forces the glass up. 

Footsteps approach and he glances over to see the masked man striding towards him, finger twitching restlessly at his side. Behind him lay the doctor, chest still as he lay sprawled on the tile floor “Took you long enough.” 

“I have a bad habit of working at my own pace.” Daniel replies blandly before leaping though the window onto the grass outside. The masked man was quick to follow, his face immediately turning to face the sky. He’s silent as Daniel leads him towards the forest. “So, do you have a name or what?” Daniel asks, walking backwards as he waits for an answer.

That causes the man to stumble to a stop before he turned to look at Daniel “I… I can’t seem to remember it. I used to be Tim but that doesn’t feel right.”

Daniel tilts his head to the side, expertly avoiding an exposed root as he takes in his tense companion “Probably ‘cause you aren’t ‘Tim’ anymore. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get a new name when we get to the mansion.”

“What if I didn’t want to go back with you?”

Ries laughs at that, though the sound devoid of any real humor “Sorry buddy, but you don’t have much of a choice,” The shorter male’s eyes seem to darken “When the master wants something, he’s sure as hell going to get it.” With that the pair fall silent, one focusing on getting back home and the other wondering what his life would be like from now on. 

It took a little longer than he thought it would but now they were standing in front of the old mansion. “This is the place?” The masked man asked, more to break the silence than ask a question.

“Yup, home not so sweet home.” Daniel holds the door open, ushering the newcomer inside. “ _ We’re back! _ ” Daniel mentally calls out, though he was certain his keeper had known that since they had set foot into the actual forest.

“ _ I can see that. Bring the new one up to my office. _ ” The voice crackled through his thoughts.

“Follow me and please don’t wander off.” He turns and makes his way up to the second floor, listening to the footsteps following close behind “ _ How is the one I brought back earlier? _ ”

“ _ Still sleeping. You have been gone for barely a day so his condition has not changed much. _ ” The pair stopped in front of the oak doors leading to the boss room.

“This is it, you ready to meet one of the kings of nightmares?” Daniel asked, side eyeing the one standing behind him.

“I doubt anyone would be ready for something like this.” Daniel laughs at the answer before shoving open the door and stepping inside.


	2. Chapter 2

It was three days before one of the former humans gathered enough strength to make their way downstairs, managing to find the kitchen after an hour of wandering the halls. In that time Daniel had borrowed a majority of supplies from nearby stores, from snacks with colorful packaging and other food stuffs to a few pieces of technology that caught his eye. Sure, the mansion had things like a stove and a decent sized fridge, but the former still ran on wood and the latter depended on a steady supply of ice pouches to keep things from spoiling too soon. 

Daniel was leaning against the counter, waiting for the kettle to boil when the scuffing of shoes against wood flooring catches his attention. Glancing over, he notices a scruffy man wearing an orange hoodie and torn jeans half crouched behind the wall the lead from the kitchen to the equally spare living room. He wasn’t wearing his mask, revealing wary eyes that darted from the man relaxing on the other end of the room to the cabinets and pale walls that made up the kitchen. Daniel straightens, putting on a welcoming smile as he addresses his new co-worker “Look who managed to wake up. You’re already doing better than I did. Why don’t you come sit at the table, I’m sure it’s more comfortable than the floor.” 

Hoodie waits another minute before inching his way from the wall to the table sitting in the middle of the small area, pulling back one of the four rickety chairs and practically collapsing into it. All the while he keeps his gaze locked on Daniel, deciding he was more likely to attack than the piece of furniture he was sitting on. The older of the pair grabs the two boxes on the counter before taking slow steps towards where Hoodie was sitting. 

The man immediately straightens, looking like he was about to bolt before Daniel placed the cereal boxes on the table, backing away with hands raised “Just letting you know now that I’m not going to attack you. Once you’re marked it’s kind of against the rules to attack another marked.” Daniel settled back by his spot against the counter, removing the kettle before it’s screaming startled the man further “There’s milk in the fridge, by the way. Bowls and silverware are in the cabinet behind you. If you aren’t a cereal person then we have fruit and the more perishable stuff in the cellar, we would be overrun by bugs up here otherwise.”

“Cereals fine.” Hoodie says, keeping his head lower as he took measured steps towards the fridge, pawing through it before clutching a gallon of milk to his chest tightly before skittering back to the table. His meek demeanor vanished as soon the first bite of cereal hits his tongue. The first bowl is finished in under a minute and he reaches for the first box with the spoon still sticking out of his mouth. 

It wasn’t like it was the best cereal in the world, far from it, but just like when it forced the bearer into a coma like state, the brand on his shoulder also causes an intense hunger to rise within the host that would fade with time. Maybe it would be easier to compare it to an animal that had just emerged from hibernation times five over. If they were anything like him then the food storage tucked below the house won’t make it to the end of the week, especially since there were two of them to deal with.

Speaking of two of them, Daniel turned slightly to see the other man he had picked up standing in the doorway, mask still firmly attached to his face as he surveyed the room. Hoodie stopped eating the moment he noticed the man standing just a few feet away. He clutched his bowl tightly, as unsure of the newcomer as he was of Daniel. Daniel stepped in before anything inching towards violence could occur “Hoodie, this is Masky, your partner, though you might know him better as Tim.”

“That isn’t my name.” Masky hisses, most likely glaring beneath his plastic face cover.

The sound of metal hitting the floor echoed throughout the room as Hoodie shoved himself away from the table “Tim?”

Masky tilts his head “So this is the one he was so intent on finding again.”

“What?” Hoodie hesitates, caught off guard by his friend’s words. He pulled his attention away from Masky, his confusion shifting to anger as he turns to Daniel “What did you do?”

“Masky here is another side of Tim’s personality, born from intense stress that would have broken him otherwise. Think of him as a failsafe that took over when Tim couldn’t handle it anymore.”

Hoodie stiffens, his mind playing the man’s words over and over “Why didn’t hat happen to me? I went through the same thing and I’m still me.”

Daniel shrugs “You’d have to ask the faceless guy upstairs for the answer to that question, he knows a lot more about that stuff than I do.” 

“Is Tim still in there?” Hoodie now stood a few feet away from Masky, who seemed to have checked out of the conversation in favor of looking around the kitchen.

“How should I know?” Daniel gestures to the man still standing in the doorway “Masky's the one sharing the same headspace.”

Hoodie finally settles his attention on Masky “So, is Tim still in there or what?” It probably came out more hostile than the man intended, but who wouldn’t be on edge after being recruited by a monster and looking at a stranger in his best friend’s body? 

“Tim is still in there, he’s just … sleeping.” Masky rolls his shoulder, anticipating a fight as he released his next words “I’m here now and I’m not going away any time soon.”

Daniel decides to step in before things could get hostile “Okay, now that we have that out of the way, why don’t you two get acquainted? I’m sure the both of you have a lot to catch up on after all that’s happened. It’s not often that someone gets to meet their best friend again for the first time, after all.” The man ushers the tense pair towards the table while he walks into the living room, leaving them to their own devices.

The h/c barely got to sit on the overstuffed blue coach before a familiar voice echoes within his head “ _How are the new tenants doing?_ ”

Daniel raised a brow “I’m surprised you haven’t checked on them since they woke up. They have been awake for a while now. They are your proxies.”

“ _It takes time for a human to adapt to new surrounds, do they not? I would think it wise for them to get used to the mansion before interacting with me more than they already have._ ”

“You're practically part of the mansion by this point and as their master you have to interact with them. Mistrust breeds hostility after all,” A wolfish grin suddenly alights on Daniel’s face “Or are you worried that that Masky guy’s going to chuck another chair at your face?”

The irritation could easily be felt across the mental connection “ _I assure you that I will not allow that behavior again. It is worrisome that he has such aggressive tendencies but he will learn soon enough._ ”

“If you say so,” The man sits up “So, are you going to come down?”

“ _No, I will let them get used to each other again before then. Besides, I’m busy at the moment,_ ” Slender is silent for a moment before continuing “ _Have you had any more visions?_ ”

“That fronts been pretty quiet,” Daniel brushes his hand over his remaining e/c eye, free from the odd lavender tears preceding the aforementioned visions “Haven’t even had a dream since I picked up white mask. That means no fainting, which is always a plus in my book.” 

“ _But there will be more arriving, yes?_ ”

“Yup, though when they decide to show up is a mystery to me. It reminds me of-” He cuts himself off before he says anything more.  
The irritation morphs into barely restrained anger “ _I thought we agreed not to speak of the past lest it comes back to bite us._ ”

“Sorry sir, My words slipped away from me. It won’t happen again.”

“ _See that it doesn’t. Is there anything else you have to report?_ ” The fire in his tone dies to smoldering embers.

Daniel thinks a moment, still on guard, before responding “Other than the jumpy newbies? Not a thing.”

“ _Good, keep an eye on things._ ”

“Always do, don’t I?” Slender severs the link, leaving the male alone in his own head. 

As if setting the mood that would live on in the house for years to come, a crash from the kitchen shatters the minute long lull, followed quickly by shouting and colorful words even Daniel didn’t know. Releasing curses of his own, the man rolled off the couch and stalked towards the kitchen. 

He really shouldn't have left the two alone, as the formerly tidy room now a mess of wooden shards and torn clothing. In the middle of it all was the proxies, Masky sitting on Hoodie’s stomach with a fork aimed towards his face while the leaner man was using all the strength in his arms to keep the silverware from making itself at home in his eye socket.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Daniel asks, attempting to keep his voice level. He had had a lot of training over the years when it came to patience but after the sour ending of his conversation with the keeper he was struggling to keep a lid on it. 

Masky turned his head towards the h/c, no doubt spitting with rage as he spoke “He keeps calling me Tim! It was pissing me off so I decided to correct him.” Hoodie kept silent, a wise move on his part.

Daniel sighs, running a hand down his face “I thought we recruited grown men, not crybaby toddlers who get huffy the moment someone opens their mouth.” He looks up just in time to see Masky hurl himself at him, no doubt intent on adding him to his personal hit list. The male easily counters, grabbing him by his shoulder and flipping him over his hip. Masky is sent sprawling onto the tile floor, still for a moment before he jumps back to his feet. By this point, the other man in the room had retreated to the other side of the room, watching with narrowed eyes.

“Toddlers,” Daniel repeats, pinning Masky to the floor with a look he had spent most of his life honing “Okay, settle down. Since you have so much pent up energy, why don’t you spend some time in the training grounds?”

This causes Masky to pause, hand still clutching his mini weapon of choice “Training grounds? What’s that?”

Daniel smirks “Just what it sounds like, it’s a place where you can cause as much damage as you want without having to worry about cleanup. You’ll even have your own choice in weaponry, from knives to metal pipes we ripped off of some buildings, no gun though.” He glances back at Hoodie, still standing a safe distance away, “You should come as well, it’ll do you some good to get in shape before things get hectic around here.”

“Hectic how?” The orange hooded man asks, finally starting to edge towards them, though he's careful to keep Daniel between himself and his attempted murderer.

“You’ll see,” Daniel looks back as Masky, who now had started to pick himself up off the floor “So, how about it?”

“Show me that move you just used on me and it’s a deal.” Masky says.

“Alright then, let’s get started, shall we?”


	3. Chapter 3

“Here we are!” Daniel crows proudly after the twenty minute trek to get to the training grounds.

“Really? This is your so called ‘Training grounds’?” To say Masky was annoyed was a bit of an understatement. Even Hoodie, mask now covering his face, was disappointed at the lackluster presentation. All they could see was a meadow of yellowing grass not even half the size of the one that the mansion occupied. The middle of the space had been cleared for whatever reason, while patches of flowers grew in thick bushels off to the sides.

“Oh come on, don’t judge before I bring everything out,” Daniel says, ignoring the fact that the white masked man looked like he was two steps away from strangling him, if his twitching fingers were any indication. “Wait here a moment,” He cut across the clearing, heading for a little shed half hidden by a birch tree and some thick bushes spotted with red flowers. The two did as they were asked, Masky folding his arms while Hoodie crouched down to get a better look at a few blue flowers growing by his feet. It was obvious to anyone looking at the pair that they were avoiding having to interact with each other. Both look up when Daniel reappears, lugging what looked like two scarecrows behind him. He flops them down in the middle of the training area before urging the proxies-in-training forward with a ‘come hither’ hand gesture.

“You’re make the disappointment worse. I didn’t even know that was possible.” Masky says bluntly.

“I love to surprise people, makes things more fun,” Daniel props up one of the scarecrows, this one wearing a tattered red hoodie and cargo shorts paired with muddy sneakers. He even had a pair of sunglasses duct taped to his face to give him the appearance of eyes “Now, this is Toma, he’s one of the attack dummies we have set up here. His partner here is Lyra,” ‘Lyra’ was slightly shorter wearing a yellow short sleeved shirt and jeans torn at the knees tucked into a pair of combat boots, “Your job is to win a fight against these two.”

“Are you serious?” Masky asks “Have you hit your head one times too many or what?” Hoodie nods in agreement, not entirely sure what the man in front of them was getting at.

“Don’t laugh just yet,” With his free hand, Daniel pulled what looked like two smooth stones out of his pocket “These guys are pretty strong.” He unzips the back of Toma’s back and shoves one of the stoned inside before rezipping him and placing him on the ground. He does the same to Lyra and set her besides the male scarecrow. “Now, before we begin, do you want a safe word so I know when to call them off?”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine against two dummies.” Masky scoffs.

“I warned you so it’s your funeral,” Daniel claps his hands, startling the two men “Toma, Lyra, time to wake up, you have some fresh meat to tenderize.” The proxies step back when the two marionettes start to twitch before sitting up with unsettlingly jerky motions. The female figure, Lyra, looks right at them while Toma, the male, turns his head side to side to survey his surroundings.

“The hell?” Masky sputters, hands flying out defensively in front of him. Hoodie on the other hand, had frozen to the spot, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Think of them as very lively puppets, animated with what the magic community call soul stones. They also have a limited range of emotions that has evolved with them, so try not to insult them too much.” Daniel turns back to the scarecrows, who by this point had gotten to their feet “Toma, Lyra, these a few new residents who are going to be training with you guys. You can beat them to hell and back but don’t kill them, please?” Both nodded before staring at the two men and settling into what they assumed was attack positions.

Hoodie raises his hand meekly “Do we get a warm up?” 

Daniel smiled brightly “There’s no such thing as a warm up when you’re out on a mission. You get a choice of weapons though.” He tossed a duffle bag that had been sitting unnoticed by his feet over to the pair “You have a minute to pick before I release the puppets.” With those words, the man wandered over to the edge of the meadow and plops down in the grass, eyes twinkling with amusement.

“You didn’t even teach me that move you promised me!” Masky growls, already dumping the sack of weapons on the ground. A variety of blades, small metal pipes and even what looked like an ancient jitte tumbles out.

“I’ll teach you after you recover from this.” Daniel shouts back. Muttering death threats under his breath, Masky claimed a few daggers. Hoodie waited until his former friend was finished before taking a few weapons of his own, including a metal pipe that he slide through a loop in his jeans and a dagger that felt right in his hand.

“Minutes up! Toma, Lyra, Fetch!”

To say the fight was one sided was a bit of an understatement. The two men were laid out on their backs within a minute. Masky was curled on the ground, clutching his stomach while Hoodie, his mask stuffed into his pocket, had his hand up to stem the blood dripping down his now crooked nose as he lays half sprawled in the dirt. The puppets were standing on the far end of the battle area, arms swaying at their sides as they waited for their next order. Daniel stood in the middle of the dueling grounds, his smile replaced by a frown “Oh c’mon, you didn’t even last two minutes! Now who’s the disappointed one?” Hoodie says nothing while Masky groans, lifting his mask slightly so he could spit a glob of pinkish blood onto the grass at their tormentor's feet.

“L-like you could do better,” Masky hisses, glaring up at their tormentor.

Daniel shrugs “I can certainly do better than you two. Guess we have a lot of training to do.” The scarecrows seem to perk up at the word ‘training’, only for Daniel to shake his head at them, causing them to stand down.

“If all our training is like this, I doubt we’ll survive longer than a month.” Hoodie sniffles, nose still dripping slightly. The older man steps forward, gently batting his hands away before reaching for his nose. Before Hoodie can push him away, Daniel straightened it with a pop. The man howls in pain, rolling backwards in an attempt to get away.

Masky stares at the scene in surprise, mask still askew “What is wrong with you? You know you probably made that worse right?”

“You guys aren’t human anymore, remember? An almost broken nose is no problem for your healing abilities. Gunshot and knife wounds are pretty dangerous though if they hit certain spots.” Daniel stands, brushing his hands off before taking a spot once more on the grass “Now, since you’ve calmed down a bit, Why don’t I lay down some ground rules that’ll help you survive in this place.”

“If you and your homicidal dolls don’t kill us first,” Masky growls under his breath, forcing himself to his knees. By this point Hoodie had sat back up, prodding his still slightly crooked but not longer bleeding nose.

“Toma and Lyra only kill intruders and I only kill who Slender tells me to so you’re safe at the moment,” He shifted slightly, taking a deep breath before going on “Okay, rule one is to always do what Slenderman tells you, no matter what. He’ll either punish you or torture you to death, depending on how badly you fuck up. Second, when you’re going through the forest, never leave the path unless you're with me or Slenderman. We aren’t the only dangerous creatures in this place and right now, your guys are pretty low on the food chain. Any questions?”

“What kind of creatures are we talking about?” Hoodie pipes up, rubbing at a brown stain on his sleeve.

“I swear if we have to deal with giant squirrels...” his partner says, fixing so his mask so it now properly covered his face.

“Squirrels are the least of our problems. This forest is kind of like a sanctuary for the supernatural so a wide array of critters live here and the deeper you go, the stronger said critters get. In this area, all we really have to deal with are a few named creatures, such as the rake or seedeater on occasion.”

“Named creatures? Is that code for something?” Masky asks.

“Names hold power for many beings and named creatures, such Slenderman or the Rake, grow in power when more people fear or invoke their names. Get it?”

“Not really,” Hoodie says honestly.

Daniel shrugs “It can get pretty confusing. Heck, I don’t even understand it half the time and I've spent most of my life dealing with these kinds of things.” He stands, brushing off his pants “Well, you’ll have time to learn about all this stuff anyway so don’t stress over it too much. Just stick to the rules and hopefully you’ll survive. Lets get back before it gets too dark out here.” The h/c walks over to the swaying scarecrows, leaving the pair to climb to their feet as he walks them back to the shed. He retrieves their soul stones, stuffing them back into his pocket before heaving them into the shed and locking it with a somewhat familiar shiny padlock.

  
  


The walk back was uneventful, just Daniel handing out helpful hints on what to do if they run into one of the more violent forest creatures and trying to keep Masky from punching Hoodie whenever the name Tim slips out of his mouth. Hopefully these two would work out these issues before they were sent out on their first mission. It was fully dark before they stumbled into the mansion, tired and covered in dirt after Masky had tripped, taking Hoodie and Daniel down with him as he rolled down a steeper part of the path.

Daniel stumbles to a stop when he spots the master of the house in the living room, peering at a picture on the fireplace mantel. “Sir, is something wrong?” Taking note of his suspicious tone, the newer proxies keep back, ready to bolt out the door at a moment’s notice. Not that they would get far but it was better than doing nothing at all.

The faceless being turns, one hand still on the frame as he takes in the ruffled trio “You were out longer than I expected,” He briefly turns his attention towards the men behind Daniel “You two can go to your rooms. As for you, Daniel, you have someone waiting for you upstairs and they don’t like to be kept waiting. ” 


End file.
